When former Baylor basketball star Isaiah Austin announced that he had been diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome and that he would retire from competitive basketball, there wasn’t a single basketball player, coach, executive, or fan who didn’t feel for the kid. Two weeks ago he was on top of the world, destined to live his dream of getting selected in the 2014 NBA Draft. Then, five days before the draft, he gets the bad news about his condition, and everything comes crashing down.

Amazingly, Austin has shown nothing but strength and composure in this difficult time. And last night, during the draft, the NBA did the right thing by paying tribute to all his hard work and dedication. Midway through the first round, league commissioner Adam Silver paused the official proceedings to recognize Austin and make him the honorary selection of the National Basketball Association.

Standing ovations and misty eyes followed:

That was definitely a classy gesture by the NBA. Between this and banning Donald Sterling for life, Adam Silver if off to a much better start to his tenure than predecessor David Stern.